1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to refueling systems and in particular to a system and method for distributing fuel to a plurality of continuously running vehicles.
2. Description of Related Art
Many industrial processes require the use of multiple vehicles to be operated continuously at a worksite. One example of such environments is at a hydraulic fracturing or fracking site. In such locations, multiple pump trucks are required to provide the fracking site with sufficient fracking fluid. Such trucks are disadvantageously required to be operated continuously during such fracking operations and therefore will also be required to be refueled during operation.
One common difficulty with such fracking operations is the need to refuel the multiple trucks to ensure continued operation. One common method of refueling such trucks is to provide a fuel tank and personnel to monitor and refill the tank on each truck as needed. It will be appreciated that such methods are time consuming and prone to error if sufficient personnel are not present. Additionally, the fuel lines required for filling each truck may pose a safety hazard when distributed around the worksite.
Other methods have attempted to provide a system of automatically distributing fuel to such trucks by providing sensors in each truck with a valve and manifold assembly at the common source tank. Such systems, disadvantageously however require the use of electrical sensors which may pose spark risk at the work site and also disadvantageously depressurize each of the fuel lines to each truck reducing the responsiveness of supply each truck. Examples of such systems may be found in US Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0197988 to Van Vliet et al.